Laytex Glove Allergy = Private Room?

melissaquinn106 · March 2014

Ok so anyone every heard of this... If you have a laytex allergy you'll get a private room during delivery. My sister in law tells me that this is true and if I tell my doctor I have a laytex allergy I'll get a private room for my hospital stay. Thoughts? Opinions? Experience?

[Deleted User] · March 2014

I don't really see how they can guarantee that.

All of the L&D rooms at my hospital are private, are you sure yours aren't?

stefaniew26 · March 2014

The hospital I deliver at doesn't use latex.... Only nitrile gloves to help reduce medical errors. I'm 99%sure all LD rooms are private. You won't be pushing in a room full of other women in labor. That would be unsanitary.

Jbosarge85 · March 2014

Ours were private too. And why would you lie about an allergy to get special treatment? Sounds jacked up to me

cakebatter27 · March 2014

Our hospital has labor and delivery suites. You never leave your own personal room for the entire process and also recover in it.

I would never lie about an allergy.

pantherRN · March 2014

Latex allergies can be life threatening. Why would you fake one just to get a special room? What if someone comes in who actually needs one?

tourqeyes · March 2014

melissaquinn106 said:
Ok so anyone every heard of this... If you have a laytex allergy you'll get a private room during delivery. My sister in law tells me that this is true and if I tell my doctor I have a laytex allergy I'll get a private room for my hospital stay. Thoughts? Opinions? Experience?

If you do not have a latex allergy, do not lie about it.

MstoMrstoMom851214 · March 2014

I have a latex allergy and honestly, if you had such an allergy your doctor would know it by now. They use special latex-free supplies when they do my exams and u/s...wouldn't you have had a reaction by now? They ask me every appointment and have a huge note on my file.

Regardless, this has not been mentioned to me. My hospital *usually* provides private rooms so that DH can room-in with you and the baby. However, if they are really packed it is not guaranteed (although I've heard that this hasn't happened in 7 years). I may ask about this at my next appointment to be safe because I have a lot of other allergies as well, and didn't even think about that in regards to possibly sharing a room.

iris427 · March 2014

I'm hoping this is lame MUD. But if it's not:

The hospital I used to work at had latex-free carts. You had to use the same rooms as everyone else. I really hope you are not considering lying about a latex allergy just to score a better room. As Panther pointed out, latex allergies can be life-threatening--what if someone else actually needs latex-free supplies, and they're being used on you?

melissaquinn106 · March 2014

Truth is my sister in law is a little crazy. She also told me not to wash my nipples or they would crack in half during nursing, but I was going to save that one for a separate thread. I was honestly just curious if anyone had ever heard of this before. I have the worst poker face and couldn't even imagine trying to fake an allergy for a private room, but she said something to me about it and I was just wondering if anyone had any info on whether people actually do this or if it would even work. I'm picturing the hospital police coming to lock me up for breaking the allergy laws. Figured this was the place to see if there was any truth to her most recent advise/know it all ramble.

pantherRN · March 2014

Like PP said, it's not just the gloves. Everything has to be latex free, like the blood pressure cuffs. The latex free versions are also more expensive, which is a waste of hospital resources if you don't actually have the allergy.

[Deleted User] · March 2014

Yeah, I think I'd use the "smile and nod" approach when talking to your SIL from now on and then ignore everything she tells you.

netsirk2013 · March 2014

Hospitals are laytex free now. So this would be false! Coming from someone with a laytex allergy....

cakebatter27 · March 2014

It's driving me nuts. I can't believe someone hasn't called it yet. It's LATEX.

iris427 · March 2014

cakebatter27 said:

It's driving me nuts. I can't believe someone hasn't called it yet. It's LATEX.

This was annoying me too.

iris427 · March 2014

melissaquinn106 said:

Truth is my sister in law is a little crazy. She also told me not to wash my nipples or they would crack in half during nursing, but I was going to save that one for a separate thread. I was honestly just curious if anyone had ever heard of this before. I have the worst poker face and couldn't even imagine trying to fake an allergy for a private room, but she said something to me about it and I was just wondering if anyone had any info on whether people actually do this or if it would even work. I'm picturing the hospital police coming to lock me up for breaking the allergy laws. Figured this was the place to see if there was any truth to her most recent advise/know it all ramble.

FWIW, this is actually legit. Soap washes off the natural oils your skin produces, so it can potentially cause more cracking/irritation when you breastfeed. You can just rinse them with water.

Kristen9222 · March 2014

Actually the hospital will either put you in a room with another patient with a latex allergy or treat both you and your roommate like you both have latex allergies. The protocol is that if one patient in a room has a latex allergy, no latex in the room. Hopefully you will get a private room anyway though.

AMcLaws · March 2014

Is there such a thing as a non-private labor and delivery room?? I've never seen a shared one

cakebatter27 · March 2014

AMcLaws said:
Is there such a thing as a non-private labor and delivery room?? I've never seen a shared one

I've never heard of it either.

iris427 · March 2014

The hospital where I had my first had private LDR rooms, but not private postpartum rooms. Luckily there weren't a lot of women there when I delivered, so I didn't end up having a roommate, but it definitely happens there.

It used to be the norm to have separate rooms for labor, delivery, and recovery, and they often weren't private.

mhooks23 · March 2014

iris427 said:

melissaquinn106 said:

Truth is my sister in law is a little crazy. She also told me not to wash my nipples or they would crack in half during nursing, but I was going to save that one for a separate thread. I was honestly just curious if anyone had ever heard of this before. I have the worst poker face and couldn't even imagine trying to fake an allergy for a private room, but she said something to me about it and I was just wondering if anyone had any info on whether people actually do this or if it would even work. I'm picturing the hospital police coming to lock me up for breaking the allergy laws. Figured this was the place to see if there was any truth to her most recent advise/know it all ramble.

FWIW, this is actually legit. Soap washes off the natural oils your skin produces, so it can potentially cause more cracking/irritation when you breastfeed. You can just rinse them with water.

This may sound gross but a good remedy for dry and cracking nipples is breast milk. You just express a small amount and rub onto your nipples. It really does help.

RKSnyder · March 2014

I have a very serious latex allergy and it was something my ob/gyn asked from the start. If one was suddenly mentioned during the time for delivery, your doc would know it was bs (bc you would've have been dealing with that allergy at every appointment)... It is something I have struggled with all my life with all doctors and such... And with many other latex items... Haha.

Also, at my hospital, you are in an area in Labor and Delivery with others (with dividers), just until they confirm you are truly in labor (if it's not induced or a set c-section). Then, once confirmed (usually by seeing contractions on the monitor), you get a private room.

Big+Lil · March 2014

Wouldn't it be awesome if someone brought her congratulatory latex balloons into her private room?

MstoMrstoMom851214 · March 2014

symphony4586 said:

Big+Lil said:

Wouldn't it be awesome if someone brought her congratulatory latex balloons into her private room?

Is it bad that the last several times I've been to our hospital I've wondered why there's a big sign out front saying "Mylar balloons only" and it took this comment to figure out why......

Hell, I'm allergic to latex and never even thought of balloons, duh. As long as I don't rub them on me, I should be okay though!

RKSnyder · March 2014

Haha on the balloons! That cracks me up! I've never seen a Mylar only sign at my hospital. But every relay race as a kid that used balloons, I was out! The only one I could do is the water balloon toss but only if we tossed quickly or if I put it down before tossing. I can't have latex touch my skin for more than a minute or so or I react pretty terribly!

runrinserepeat · March 2014

netsirk2013 said:

Hospitals are laytex free now. So this would be false! Coming from someone with a laytex allergy....

This isn't entirely true, and least not at all places. They may not allow you to bring in latex balloons, but medical supplies may still contain latex. Patients with latex allergies will get special treatment there (obviously).

Patients who lie about allergies.... well that's just asking for karma to come get you. And doesn't your doctor ask at every appointment if you have any allergies? Cripes, I had an eye appointment this week and they asked me there. You can bet my OB is asking each time she sees me, too. I think it'd be a little weird to suddenly start adding to that list...

AutumnBonfire · March 2014

Funny how the brain skips over spelling errors when reading. I didn't even notice it and I know how to spell "latex."

Lying is shitty if that's what you're getting at. Don't your doctors use gloves for every exam? Mine do. A truly legit allergy would have come up some time around the first appointment. I don't know anything about getting private rooms with an allergy. My hospital has private rooms for everybody.

What's next - saying you're allergic to peanuts to get an exclusive table in the school cafeteria?

AKbadwolf · March 2014

kleMcK said:

Patients who lie about allergies.... well that's just asking for karma to come get you. And doesn't your doctor ask at every appointment if you have any allergies? Cripes, I had an eye appointment this week and they asked me there. You can bet my OB is asking each time she sees me, too. I think it'd be a little weird to suddenly start adding to that list...

My Doc asked at the first appointment if I had allergies, but hasn't asked since. My hospital has group triage where they figure out if you really are in labor, then a private Labor/Delivery/Recovery room, then a private Post-Partum room.

tourqeyes · March 2014

cakebatter27 said:

It's driving me nuts. I can't believe someone hasn't called it yet. It's LATEX.

That's why I spelled it right in my post?

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